Lupin the Third: Pilot Film
Summary The Pilot film was mainly an introduction to each of the five major characters as well as a retired detective named Kogoro Akechi, who never really appeared in anything after the pilot film however was a character in the original comic books. Goemon Ishikawa is also in the film as an enemy of Lupin like he was in the first few episodes of the first series. Overall the animation style and most of the voice acting is unique to this pilot film. Cast Cinemascope (Theatrical) Version *Taichirō Hirokawa as Lupin III *Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Daisuke Jigen *Eiko Masuyama as Fujiko Mine *Gorō Naya as Goemon Ishikawa XIII *Shinsuke Chikaishi as Inspector Heiji Zenigata VII *Hitoshi Takagi as Kogoro Akechi TV Version *Nachi Nozawa as Lupin III *Kiyoshi Kobayashi as Daisuke Jigen *Eiko Masuyama as Fujiko Mine *Osamu Kobayashi as Goemon Ishikawa XIII *Chikao Ōtsuka as Inspector Heiji Zenigata VII *Kōichi Kitamura as Kogoro Akechi Production and Releases Following the success of the Lupin III manga, Tokyo Movie (now TMS Entertainment) created this 12 minute animated film to gather interest in the project. Originally Monkey Punch was going to assist however the project got too much for him and had to back out. There was both a theatrical Cinemascope and later a TV version of this film that had differences in voice acting and the aspect ratio. When it was finished in 1969, it never saw a release in theaters due to various reasons include a lack of financial backers due to its adult content. The pilot was then tweaked for TV that then got the greenlight for Lupin the Third Part I however most of the staff involved left Tokyo Movie by then. It was eventually aired on August 17, 1988 on TV then released as part of the "Lupin III Secret Files" collection in 1989. Discotek included the film as a bonus feature in their American release of the 1st series. Mistakes *When Fujiko drives on her motorbike, the badge says "RUPIN III" rather than Lupin III. In the next scene however the badge was changed to Triumph. The "RUPIN III" badge typo on her bike was carried over to the first opening despite being reanimated. Trivia *The first anime series recycled footage from the pilot for the first two opening intros. While the first intro was modified so Lupin wears the green jacket and the other character designs, the second intro was mostly lifted from the pilot without changes with only a short scene from Is Lupin Burning...?! when Lupin gets into the car, Fujiko with the flashing photos that uses the tweaked version from the first intro rather than the pilot version and escaping from a car hanging of a cliff. The third intro also reuses a short scene where Lupin runs from the spotlight. *The scenario from later on in the film was re-used in the episode "The All-Together Playing-Card Operation" of the 1971 series, the ending of both moments use the same method of escape. *The only two voice actors who were the same in both versions was Kiyoshi Kobayashi who voiced Jigen who was kept as the voice for most Lupin the Third projects afterwards and Eiko Masuyama who voiced Fujiko, however she was not selected for Part I. She did however return for Lupin the Third Part II and was the voice for most projects bar The Fuma Conspiracy until her retirement in 2010. *Gorō Naya who voiced Goemon in the Cinemascope version later voiced Inspector Zenigata for Part I and kept the same role for most Lupin the Third projects until his death. *While Nachi Nozawa did not get to voice Lupin after the pilot, he was the voice of Cobra from the Space Adventure Cobra TV series and some OVAs until his death. Both were inspired by James Bond. He also voiced Pycal in Return of the Magician taking over from Hideaki Ezumi. *The description of Lupin says that "there is no impossible in his vocabulary". This was referenced in later series and also a reference to Napoleon where he claimed the word impossible is not in his dictionary, again also referenced in the series. *In one scene of the pilot, it is shown to have henchmen around him and Jigen. Only the manga and Rainy Afternoons are Dangerous! is known for Lupin to recruit outside of the main cast. *The pilot film is the origin of Lupin running against a wall with the spotlights focused on him. This scene was not only referenced in later series, openings and films but also parodied in other Japanese media. *The pilot film was also the origin of Lupin jumping into bed with Fujiko and getting rejected. The difference being was that in the pilot Lupin slips off his entire clothes, pulls the sheet and getting kicked on the face to the wall. The later one just has Lupin in his boxers and gets punched by a glove coming out of Fujiko. Category:OVAs Category:Films